Who are the highest-paid actors in 2018?
Male actors’ earnings dwarf their female counterparts’ in new Forbes list
George Clooney has topped Forbes’ annual ranking of the highest-paid actors, which tallies both onscreen and extracurricular earnings in the past 12 months.
The star’s film-based enterprises accounted for only a fraction of his income, with “most coming from the sale of spirit company Casamigos Tequila”, reports The Guardian.
For Clooney, “the sale meant an estimated $233m (£180m) pretax from Casamigos, plus additional earnings from endorsements and older movies”, says Forbes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trailing closely behind at No. 2 is Dwayne Johnson. The 46-year-old raked in $124m (£96m) before tax, “the largest ever acting take-home from front-of-camera roles in Celebrity 100 history”, the magazine says.
During that time, Johnson played a soldier turned primatologist in Rampage and an archaeologist explorer in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which proved to be his biggest payday.
Johnson’s “huge social media following (113m on Instagram) helped him pad his wallet, allowing him to nearly double his earnings through promotion”, says USA Today.
“Social media has become the most critical element of marketing a movie for me,” Johnson told Forbes. “I have established a social media equity with an audience around the world that there’s a value in what I’m delivering to them.”
Rounding out the top three on the list is Robert Downey Jr., who pocketed $81m (£63m). The Iron Man star “still negotiates with an iron fist, cashing an estimated $15m up front for 2017’s limited-screen-time role in Spider-Man: Homecoming”, says Forbes.
Clooney “earned some $200m (£155m) more than the highest-paid female actor, Scarlett Johansson, whose $40.5m (£31.5m) total is thought to largely derive from her involvement in Marvel titles”, adds The Guardian.
Among the female actors, Angelina Jolie (£21.5m) is next on the list, with Jennifer Aniston (£14.5m) third. Aniston is thought to make the bulk of her earnings from endorsements for brands such as Emirates, SmartWater and Aveeno.
Forbes’ list of the world’s best-paid male actors 2018:
1. George Clooney - $233m (£180m)2. Dwayne Johnson - $124m (£96m)3. Robert Downey Jr - $81m (£63m)4. Chris Hemsworth - $64.5m (£50m)5. Jackie Chan - $45.5m (£35m)6. Will Smith - $42m (£32m)7. Akshay Kumar - $40.5m (£31m)8. Adam Sandler - $39.5m (£30.6m)9. Chris Evans - $34m (£26m)10. Salman Khan - $33.5m (£26m)
Forbes’ list of the world’s best-paid actresses 2018:
1. Scarlett Johansson - $40.5m (£31.5m)2. Angelina Jolie - $28m (£21.5m)3. Jennifer Aniston - $19.5m (£14.5m)4. Jennifer Lawrence - $18m (£14m)5. Reese Witherspoon - $16.5m (£12.8m)6. Mila Kunis - $16m (£12m)7. Julia Roberts - $13m (£10m)8. Cate Blanchett - $12.5m (£9.7m)9. Melissa McCarthy - $12m (£9.3m)10. Gal Gadot - $10m (£7.7m)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 3, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - presidential pitching, wavering convictions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published